Until I manage to save enough money for larger adventures, I will have to settle being a weekend warrior. Life for the most part will remain boring in Maryland, which also happens to be the name of the town I work down the street from. No, seriously, the town is actually called ‘Boring, Maryland’ and pretty much only consists of a post office, church and fire hall. It lives up to its name.
No Sleep ‘Til Franklin
But so far, things are going pretty good if you ask me! The first weekend this month, I left straight from work to drive into the night down south to Franklin, North Carolina to join the mini “trail family” reunion wrapping up after my husband re-hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail with a few old friends. More on that here.
Walking with Wolves
The next week, we took a short drive up north to Pennsylvania to visit the Wolf Sanctuary of PA. The wolves are provided with food, water, shelter and better healthcare than most Americans! The sanctuary runs purely on donations which is pretty incredible! Although there are over 80 acres of land for them to roam on, only a teeny, tiny portion of it was available during this time of year for the tour.
There are over 40 wolves currently residing there that have been rescued from various scenarios. The guides shared some of their stories as we approached each section. One of the wolves that was rescued named Spirit, was being kept illegally in Maryland and was discovered wandering nearby a school after escaping from home. Strangely enough, Spirit really enjoys the presence of children, so it’s funny that that was where she wandered to. We plan on visiting again in the winter when the weather isn’t so humid and they’re more active.
Hipster Nightlife
The third weekend, although we didn’t do much, we paid Frederick, Maryland a visit. Nightlife just isn’t the same after you decide to take a one year hiatus from booze. If your main goal isn’t to get ‘white girl wasted,’ or to consume late night calories (or both), you may as well just go to bed after 10 pm. Before calling it a night, we did enjoy listening to the DJ spin some electronic music while observing drunken hipster socialize at ‘Cafe Nola’. We also returned in the morning for their incredible breakfast and coffee which never disappoints.
If you’re ever visiting the state of Maryland, I would highly recommend paying Frederick a visit. If you’re a foodie, you’ll have a hard time deciding where to eat and drink, since there’s just about every cuisine available for every budget, and pretty much wherever you decide to go it’s gonna be good! I’ve frequented many establishments throughout and have rarely been the least bit disappointed in my meal. If you’re into shopping, there are plenty of cute, local shops along Market Street. They also have specials events the first Saturday of each month like February’s “Fire and Ice”.
Go Hop!
Before I was wandering along the Appalachian Trail, every year I’d go with my parents to watch the Johns Hopkins’ lacrosse homecoming game. It kinda became family tradition, and it was the first time I’ve been around to participate in the past 3 years. I’m not big into any variety of “sports ball,” but watching college lacrosse in person is always entertaining. We’ve always gone to Johns Hopkins University to watch them play since it’s my Dad’s alma mater. One of these days, I need to return to Towson to represent my own!
JHU played against the University of Maryland and although Hopkins lost by one point in the third overtime, it was an awesome game! We also got to introduce my fairly conservative folks to the quirky and very Baltimore-esk “Papermoon Diner”, where we grabbed dinner before heading home.
Stubbs Rambles On 